Never Let Me Go
by evanescentblaze
Summary: Yuffie is traveling with her friends when she runs into someone from her past who she'd left behind long ago. Hurt and angry, Vincent tries to convince himself that he's moved on. They both think it's over...but is it really? YUFFENTINE!
1. Sticky Fingers

**So this is a Yuffentine fic. Same universe as FVII but a whole different story. This idea just randomly came out of nowhere and is not the best story I've ever written, but hey, I still think it's nice. :)**

**No, I don't own Final Fantasy 7. And it's incredibly upsetting.**

* * *

**Sticky Fingers**

Yuffie Kisaragi didn't steal because she had to. She'd grown up having access to anything she wanted if she just asked for it. Even now she didn't need much to get by, so really she didn't have to do it at all. It was useful when on the job, though, especially when the mission required it. They'd gotten a few jobs where they had to break into someone's house or business and steal a particular document or item. So while her friends were actually conscience-driven, which Yuffie found strange for mercenaries, and didn't exactly approve of her hobby, they let her do it outside of the job just as long as she didn't get into much trouble. That usually wasn't a problem. She rarely ever got caught. And when she did…well, they didn't call her a ninja for nothing.

So when they stopped by in Midgar to contact their current employer and hopefully find a new one, Yuffie became excited. She and her comrades had been traveling for the past week. On the road, she got incredibly bored. Mostly there was nothing to do but walk or fight the various monsters that popped up. In the years that she'd been with them, Yuffie had gotten used to it, but it still didn't stop her from going crazy whenever they finally reached a town or city. Her fingers were itching to get her hands on something, as in, something that wasn't hers. So the second they had settled down at the inn they usually stayed at, she told her friends that she'd be wandering around the city.

Barret gave her a look. "Yuffie, we just got here. You better not be gettin' us chased out before we get our next job."

Yuffie feigned being hurt. "As if! Just who do you think I am?"

"I _know_ who you are," he said. "That's what worries me."

"Aw, don't worry so much!" she said, grinning at her companions. "I won't take anything big this time."

This time, both Barret and Tifa gave her warning looks.

"I promise!" she said, giving a light laugh. "I'm just going to walk around. You just worry about getting our money and finding us a new job. I'll be back with dinner."

She waved goodbye and took off before they could say anything else. She headed towards the market where she knew there would be a lot of people. It'd be easy to snatch a few things in the crowd. She brushed past people, "accidentally" bumping into them and walking away before they noticed that she was holding some of their money in her hand. It was never that much. Yuffie only took a couple pieces of gil, nothing that would set off alarms. Plus, she wasn't interested in the money anyway.

She mingled in the crowd for a while, choosing her victims out of the corners of her eyes. The thrill of the steal had her on a high. She spent hours getting lost among the people, dipping her hands in pockets while enjoying the nice weather at the same time. It wasn't until mid-afternoon that Yuffie began to slow down. She'd finally had enough for one day. Besides, if she lingered for too long, people would start to get suspicious. Yuffie found a woman sitting against a building, an old worn hat out in front of her. Beside her huddled a small child. Both of them were dirty and wearing old, tattered clothes. Yuffie marched up to them and placed all the gil she had collected in the hat.

The woman looked up at her, her eyes widened. "Thank you," she said.

"No problem," Yuffie said, winking and saluting her. She already turned away when she heard the woman say, "May Gaia bring you back to what you've been looking for."

Yuffie stopped and looked back at the woman, but she was already talking to her child who had a hopeful look on his face. _What a strange thing to _say, Yuffie thought. But she shrugged it off. It wasn't until she was halfway back to the inn that she realized that she had meant to keep some of the money to buy dinner for them. They had food back at the inn, but Yuffie liked having take-out the first night they were ever in town. It began sort of a tradition that she had started when she first joined the group. She flexed her fingers. Well, looks like she had one more steal left for the day.

Her target appeared almost immediately. He was standing on the sidewalk, looking at his phone. He was wearing a dark business suit, an expensive one too, meaning that he must have money. Distracted and rich, the perfect type of person to steal from. Just as long as she was careful, it should be no problem.

Yuffie got up behind him being careful not to make a sound. She slipped a hand in his pocket and almost smiled in triumph when she her hand closed around some loose gil he must have tossed in there. The man didn't stir, only typed something out on his phone.

When she began to walk away, however, a hand closed around her wrist. Yuffie stiffened.

Shit.

"Hey! What do you think you're—" The voice cut off though. Without turning around, Yuffie tried yanking her arm out of his grasp. But he was strong and instead his hand tightened on her. She was considering hitting the guy and then running. She was a fast runner. She could be back at the inn in no time. But before she could put this into action, what he said next stilled her.

"Yuffie?"

She jerked her head up, surprised that whoever it was knew her name. When she looked at him though, she froze. "V-vincent?" she stammered out. At first she didn't recognize him. He had grown his hair out. Instead of a short cut, it was now incredibly long, past his shoulders. He must not have cut it since the last time they'd seen each other. The second she saw those crimson eyes though, she knew. She knew it was him. And she knew that she was in huge trouble.

His expression was at first, shocked. Then, however, a dark look came over his features. "Stealing from me again, I see," he said, bitterly.

Yuffie mentally kicked herself. How could she not tell it was him? How could she not have been more careful? Then again, she thought he had moved to the other side of Midgar, the side where she never went. Of course it didn't matter now. Now she was just stuck. Her mind raced, but she didn't know what to stay. She wished more than anything that she had just gone back to the inn and bummed some money of off Tifa or Cloud or chosen some other person to steal from.

"I—" she stuttered, struggling to come up with something to say. "I—"

"Let her go."

Yuffie jumped at the voice. They both turned and saw Cloud, Tifa, and Barret there. Cloud had his hand on the handle of his sword. Her heart almost leapt with joy. Her friends had perfect timing.

Vincent looked back at her. "New friends?"

The small elation she felt at seeing her companions quickly faded. The dim look he was giving her sent a huge wave of guilt and sadness through her. She sucked in a breath and opened her mouth to…what? Defend herself? It would kind of defeat the purpose of doing what she did. Yet the expression on his face sent a stab of pain through her.

He must hate her so much now…

She closed her mouth, then opened it again, trying to find something to say, but unable to think of anything. She wished she could look away from those crimson eyes. Too see them again hurt her more than she thought they would. Yet, she found herself staring into them, caught in the fire that lit them.

The spell was broken though when Vincent released her and stepped back. Yuffie stopped herself from rubbing her wrist. He had been gripping her tightly, so tight Yuffie thought that she might bruise. She barely noticed it though. Her system seemed to be in shock. Suddenly she felt very dazed and confused.

"Let's go," Cloud said, jerking his head at her.

Yuffie hesitated, giving Vincent a look, but then moved towards her friends. She could feel his eyes watching her as she did. She suppressed a shiver. Once, she had enjoyed when those red eyes had looked at her. Now, Yuffie just wanted to run and hide from them.

Before she followed her companions though, she finally thought of the only words she could offer. She turned around, but didn't meet his eyes, afraid that if she did, she'd burn in them. "I'm sorry," she said, softly. Yuffie thought that he looked surprised but she didn't stay long enough to find out for sure. She walked after her friends, once again leaving the only man she had ever truly loved behind her.

* * *

"Yuffie? Are you alright?" Tifa asked. "You've been quiet all night."

They were sitting at the bar at the inn, huddled around their usual table. The take-out boxes, which Tifa had to go buy after Yuffie had silently handed the money over to her, sat empty, piled in the middle. Now they were all finishing off the night with a couple of beers. Yuffie stared down at her glass. She hadn't volunteered much to the conversation during dinner, which was incredibly strange. Her companions had been giving her concerned looks all night, but it wasn't until now that someone actually said anything.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, although it was obviously a lie.

She didn't miss the look all three of her friends shared.

"Is it because you got caught?" Barret asked. "Because it wouldn't be the first time."

"That's not it," she said.

"Did he say something to you?" Tifa asked.

"Not really," Yuffie replied, dully. Her head was starting to hurt. Maybe she needed another beer.

Cloud was studying her quietly. "It was him, wasn't it?"

Yuffie let out a puff of hair, blowing her bangs up. "Yeah."

"Who was he?" Tifa asked.

"Vincent Valentine," Cloud said.

Yuffie looked up at him, surprised. "You know him?"

"I saw a picture of him in the paper several months back," he said. "He and his partner built up a large company which became pretty successful a year and a half ago. They invent some pretty advanced technology." He looked at Yuffie. "He has a pretty impressive record. A Turk at the age of 17 until somehow he managed to get out of it and became a business man. He's built a good company. It's not global yet, but pretty soon it might be."

"An ex-Turk?" Barret shifted, uncomfortably. "I don't like that. How the hell you know him, Yuffie?"

She sighed. She might as well tell them. Usually she liked to keep her past a secret. After all, she'd done a lot of things that she wasn't proud of. It would make things a lot easier, though, and they probably deserved to know. She took a huge gulp of her beer and then sucked in a breath. "I was engaged to him."

Tifa's eyes widened. Barret merely stared at her. Yuffie was thankful when Cloud only looked down at the table.

"You were engaged?" Tifa asked.

"It was several years ago. A while before I joined you guys. I was nineteen."

Her friends looked shocked.

"Nineteen?"

She nodded.

"What happened?" Barret asked.

Yuffie closed her eyes. She didn't like this next part. "I left. He wanted a family and I didn't. Plus, we weren't really a good match. All his friends disapproved of it. And his partner, the one who he built his company with is also his ex-girlfriend. They were broken up when I came into the picture, but I'm pretty sure they were still in love. So I left."

"How did he react?" Tifa asked.

"I don't know. I hadn't seen him until today."

They all frowned.

"So, in other words," Tifa said, "you ran away without telling him."

"That's not it." Yuffie let out a breath. "I stole a lot of his money too."

"Yuffie!" Tifa gasped. Barret put a hand to his face. Cloud didn't move.

"I wanted him to hate me," she said. "I guess I thought it'd be easier for both of us to move on if I did. But that look he gave me today…" She looked down. "I guess I never expected to see him again."

"Do you think he'll come to get back at you?" Cloud asked.

Yuffie hesitated. "I don't know. Vincent could get vengeful sometimes but…he'd never been like that with me."

"Are you sure about that?" he asked. He nodded at her wrist which was now starting to develop a purple ring where Vincent had grabbed her. She quickly moved her arm down under the table. Everyone was silent.

Eventually, Cloud sighed. "We'll have to leave as soon as possible."

Yuffie looked at him. "But we just got here."

"Vincent Valentine is an ex-Turk. If he comes after you, it'll be hard to shake him. He'll be trained to track us down and as a successful business man, he must have connections. I don't want to fight a man unless I have to. It's best if we find a new job and get out."

"What's the earliest we could do it?" Tifa asked.

"Two days, maybe," Cloud said. "I'm not meeting Finsher until tomorrow and we'll definitely need to buy supplies. I don't particularly enjoy traveling at night so we'll have to leave early the morning after."

"We'll be ready," Barret said.

Tifa was biting her lip but she nodded too.

"Guys, I don't think—"

"It's not just about you," Cloud interrupted. "Midgar is too busy anyway. Too many people at this time of the year. It'll be best to move out as soon as possible. Just be ready to go when I say. And try to stay low. We don't want any more attention drawn to us."

Yuffie lowered her head but nodded. Cloud was right. Vincent might come after her. She didn't think he would, but it's not like she knew him so well anymore. He'd probably changed so much since she left him. He'd certainly looked like he had. A small pain in her chest developed when she thought of those crimson eyes again. She stood up suddenly. "I'll be in my room," she said. She left before anybody could stop her or say anything else. She went upstairs to the room she and Tifa would be sharing. Without bothering to take off her shoes or change into other clothes, she threw herself facedown onto her bed and closed her eyes trying to get the image of how his face looked when he saw her out of her head. She didn't succeed that well. Instead she could only play the scene over and over again in her head, memorizing how he had looked, how he had changed. She groaned. Why did this have to happen to her?

She heard the door open. Yuffie didn't move even when Tifa sat beside her and placed a hand on her back, rubbing it. "It'll be okay, Yuffie," she said.

"I just wish I hadn't been so stupid," she said, her voice muffled. "I didn't recognize him because of his long hair. But that suit and the cell phone…How could this happen?"

Tifa didn't have a reply.

"I had thought he'd moved closer to his company by now. He never liked this side of town anyway. I just don't understand how after all these years, I see him now." Yuffie paused and rolled onto her back, blinking up at the ceiling. An idea suddenly occurred to her. "It was that woman."

Tifa frowned, confused. "What woman?"

"The woman I gave the money to. When I did, she said, 'May Gaia bring you back to what you've been looking for' or something like that."

Her friend raised her eyebrows. "You think she brought Vincent to you?"

"I don't know. That seems a little too weird, doesn't it?" She sighed and pressed a pillow against her face. "Whatever. Doesn't matter. I'm not leaving this room," her voice came out, muffled once more.

"That's fine. Me, Cloud, and Barret can take care of anything. Just stay here and lay low for a little bit. Let's see if he makes a move."

Yuffie lifted the pillow a little and gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Teef. I appreciate it. Go back and finish your drink. I kind of want to be alone for a while."

The woman nodded. "I'll be right downstairs if you need me."

Yuffie rolled onto her side when Tifa left, hugging the pillow to her chest. She stared out the window at the millions of shining stars. Could Gaia really have brought her back to Vincent? It was strange after all these years. Why now? She clutched the pillow harder as a memory suddenly overtook her.

"_Are you sure this is what you want?" she asked, looking outside at the starry sky. She shivered when he moved behind her._

_He nuzzled the side of her neck, his arms wrapped around her body. "Of course I'm sure. I want to spend forever with you."_

"_What about when I get old and fat? What about if I changed into a stuffy old woman who insists on having a thousand cats and let them sleep with us?"_

"_I like cats," he murmured, his lips pressed against her throat._

_She smiled a little but turned her head to look at him. "Seriously Vince, what if it's not worth it? What if I screw it up?"_

_He kissed her then. "No matter what you do, Yuffie Kisaragi, I will always love you."_

Yuffie blinked back tears as she shook her head to disperse the memory. Well I certainly screwed that up, didn't I? she thought bitterly. She sighed. She didn't know why she dwelled on this. It was over. He was gone. Whoever she had seen today wasn't the same man she fell in love with. She'd probably never see him again anyway. Next time they came to Midgar, she'd be sure to check before she stole from somebody again. Better yet, she might just lock herself in her room and let Cloud deal with everything. It'd be better if she never saw Vincent Valentine again.

So why did one glimpse of him make her heart hurt so much?

She curled up into a ball. Maybe she should just try and sleep. She was exhausted anyway. And then she could just stop thinking for a while. Yuffie shut her eyes. Hopefully when she opened them again, she would feel a lot better.

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**So that was the first chapter. How'd I do? Second chapter should be up soon. That is, if I don't get lazy. It's already written, just have to edit it. Reviews would make me edit it faster though. :)**

**Have a blazing day!**


	2. The One That Didn't Get Away

**I finally got this thing edited! It's been sitting on my flashdrive, untouched for a while. Sorry. :/ Just been lazy and ill with the senioritis lately. But, last official day of school is tomorrow so hopefully that means I'll be posting more often since summer's almost here.**

**Anyway, this one is from Vincent's point of view. I plan to switch off between the two of them. Hope you 'me gusta' it!**

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**The One That Didn't Get Away**

Vincent looked out the window from his office. A dark blanket had been tossed over the city since he had last looked out, coloring everything in a dull blue, sprinkled with city lights. It was evening, the sun already hiding under the horizon. A whole day had passed since he had seen her, yet his mind was still on the encounter as if it had happened only minutes ago.

He wasn't easily surprised. Usually, even if things didn't turn out the way it was originally planned, Vincent expected it to be that way.

But when he caught Yuffie Kisaragi with her hand in his pocket, even he had to admit, he had not seen that one coming. He'd never expected to see her ever again, in fact. It'd been three years since he had last seen her and he knew that if Yuffie didn't want to be found, she wouldn't be.

He had given up looking for her. He accepted that he'd probably never get an explanation for why she left. And he accepted that she had probably been tricking him from the beginning. When he saw her again though, a wave of confusing emotions had come over him. Surprise, anger, hurt, and, Vincent admitted reluctantly, relief. Relief that she was alive. Relief that she was safe. It hadn't helped that she had looked incredibly stunned to see him. Obviously she hadn't realized just who she had been trying to pick pocket from, otherwise he was sure she would have steered away from him.

What confused him, however, was the look of fear he had seen mixed with the shock on her face. Yuffie didn't scare easily. And of all the people, why was she scared of him? He didn't want to admit it, but seeing that look on her face had hurt. He'd rather she had spat in his face and told him she hated him. That he could understand coming from her. But not the way she had reacted.

A merc. Vincent frowned. That's what she had become after leaving him. She didn't seem the type, yet her skills are no doubt what led her to it. The great princess of Wutai, now a mercenary for hire. He wondered what Godo would think if he knew.

Vincent leaned back in his chair and sighed. It wouldn't do well to remain distracted by thinking about Yuffie. She was a lost cause and he knew it. Yet, ever since he had seen her yesterday afternoon, he hadn't been able to get her out of his head. He closed the document he had been reading over. Maybe he should just go home. It looks like he wouldn't be getting much done just sitting here, thinking, anyway. He had hoped work would be able to distract him and keep his mind off of her, but it seemed that it was only the other way around.

He had his briefcase packed and was about to leave when he felt a presence enter his office. He turned around and found a young woman in a light blue blouse and dark blue skirt. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail as usual and wrapped with a yellow ribbon. She smiled at him, her chocolate brown eyes shining with warmth. "Heading out?" she asked, her hands clasped behind her. She tilted her head a little. "Seems a little early for you."

Vincent nodded. "Yes. I think I need it. I've been sort of distracted today so I decided that I'd just relax at home and try again tomorrow."

"Distracted?" She straightened, losing her playful stance, looking concerned. "What's wrong?"

Vincent hesitated. Lucrecia was one of his best friends. Or at least she had been. Their relationship had been shaky ever since she married Hojo, a creepy scientist who, in Vincent's opinion, was way too old for her. Actually, their problems probably started around the time Vincent started dating Yuffie. Lucrecia had disapproved the most of her and when he asked Yuffie to marry him, she'd barely speak to him. Yuffie always believed that Lucrecia still had feelings for him. She sometimes accused him of still having feelings for her too, but Vincent had told her that any feelings he might have had for Lucrecia were gone once he had met her. And it was the truth. They hadn't come back since.

As for Lucrecia, he didn't know how she felt about him, but since she married Hojo he guessed it didn't really matter. She had made her choice. But it had all put a strain on their friendship. So Vincent doubted that telling Lucrecia what had happened would help anything.

"Vincent," she said, walking towards him when she saw the uncertainty on his face. "You can tell me." She reached up and put a hand on his arm.

Vincent looked at it, unsure of what to think. It was Lucrecia. He used to be able to confide anything in her, but now…

She sighed and withdrew her hand. "Nevermind. I understand if you don't want to talk to me about it."

She turned and started to leave, but Vincent reached out and stopped her. "Wait," he said. He saw that she was trying not to show how hurt and disappointed she was. It was silly. They were trying to repair their relationship. If anything, maybe he owed her a little. He'd ignored her somewhat when he was dating Yuffie, and that was probably part of the reason why she didn't like her. It was partly his fault. He could at least attempt to fix it.

He paused again, collecting his thoughts. She waited patiently for him to continue. He sighed before he did.

"You know how I had lunch with Veld yesterday?" he asked, finally.

She nodded her head. "Yes. Is something wrong? Is his daughter okay?"

"No, not that. He and his daughter are fine. It's what happened after lunch."

"What was it?" she asked.

Vincent drew a deep breath. "I saw Yuffie."

Lucrecia's eyes widened and her mouth slightly opened in shock. She put one hand on his desk to steady herself. "Yuffie?"

He nodded. "She's traveling with a bunch of mercenaries now. Probably not the first time she's come back to Edge, but I don't think she expected to see me on that side of town."

Lucrecia put a hand to her mouth. "What did she say?" she asked. "Did she—" she hesitated but went on, "Did she explain why?"

Vincent shook his head. "She left before we could really talk. The strange thing was, when she looked at me…she was scared. Like she thought I was going to hurt her."

The woman frowned. "That doesn't seem like her. She's always stood up to any threat she sees." Vincent caught her eye and knew what she was thinking. Yuffie got jealous easily and had seen her as a threat. She had confronted Lucrecia several times when they were dating. Lucrecia had always walked away, flustered and angry, usually with Yuffie grinning in triumph. Vincent had told her not to do that, but Yuffie claimed she couldn't help it. She never backed down when it came to standing up for herself, even though Lucrecia never attacked her in the first place.

"She should know better," his friend continued. "You wouldn't hurt her or anyone else like that."

"I know. That's why it's strange." He cleared his throat, grabbing the handle of his briefcase. "I'm not going to worry about it though. It's not likely she wants to talk to me and she's probably out of the city now. It's better if we both move on with our lives."

Lucrecia was silent. Automatically, warning bells went off in his head. It wasn't good when she was quiet like that.

"What?" he finally asked after a moment when he saw her thinking.

"You said she's traveling with mercs, right?"

Vincent narrowed his eyes at her. "Yes. So?"

She shrugged, looking away. "If you asked Reeve, he'd probably be able to find out where she is."

"Really," Vincent said, slowly, his eyes still glaring at her. "And why would I want to find out where she is?"

"So you can talk to her. She owes you an explanation, Vince."

"No, she doesn't," he said, his voice lowering almost to a growl. "I think it's pretty obvious that she was only after my money."

Lucrecia shook her head and it was then that he got his second surprise of the week. "I don't think she was."

Vincent blinked. He hadn't expected this. Agreement, yes. Indifference, maybe. But not this. "What?" he asked, in disbelief. "You? If I recall, you were in no way her biggest fan. You hated her. And you certainly didn't trust her. What's with the change of opinion?"

She shrugged. "I've just got a feeling."

"A feeling," Vincent repeated flatly, silently scolding himself. He shouldn't have told her. The one time he had expected her to back him up, she was now changing sides. He guessed their friendship was a lot more warped than he thought. "Right. Well excuse me if I don't really trust your feeling." He made a move to brush past her but Lucrecia grabbed his arm.

"Vincent wait. If you don't trust my feeling, then trust yours."

He glared at her. "What do you mean?" He stiffened when she reached up and pulled out the chain he wore around his neck out from under his shirt. Two gold rings hung from it, clinking quietly together.

"You never truly believe it either," she said, looking into his eyes. "That's why you never stopped loving her, even after all these years. Go talk to her, Vince. Get her back or get the closure you need. Either way, you need to move forward."

Vincent looked down at her, wondering why she sounded so urgent and sincere. "Why are you doing this?" he asked.

She smiled. "Because I want you to be happy. And if there's one thing I can't hate her for, it's that she made you happier than I had ever seen you when you two were together." She turned and walked towards the door. "Call Reeve," she said. "You deserve to know." She left before he could say anything else.

Vincent didn't move after she was gone. He looked down at the rings hanging around his neck and felt himself actually agreeing with her. Lucrecia was right. A part of him had always believed that Yuffie had left because of some other reason. But after a while, it was just easier to deal with her absence by trying to believe the worst and hating her, which he did but didn't at the same time.

He reached up with his left hand to grasp the rings. He frowned as he held them for a moment. He didn't know why he never took them off. It had just become a habit to keep them on. At first he had put them on with the off chance that Yuffie with come back. Then, when months passed, he kept them on to remind him of the mistake he had made. Now though…maybe he'd worn them all this time for this moment.

It was time to find out the truth.

With his other hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. It only took a couple of rings for the man on the other line to pick up.

"Reeve," he said, still clutching the two golden bands that hung from his neck. "I need a favor."

* * *

**So, I might change the story a little bit from what I have written (but not edited yet), because the current story might need a little flavoring. It'll probably take a little more time and more thinking, but hopefully I'll be able to post the next one not too long...then again that's what I said last time. Yikes, sorry.**

**Either way, I hope everyone has a blazing day!**


	3. Confronting Demons

**I've stared at this thing for weeks. Still not quite happy with it, but really I was just frustrating myself so I said "to hell with it" and decided to post it anyway since I knew you guys were waiting. Hopefully I'll be able to make up for it in the next chapter.**

**Hope you like it anyway.**

* * *

**Confronting Demons**

"Come on, Yuffie. Just one drink. Please?"

Yuffie tapped her cheek, pretending to think about it. She had spent the whole day stuck in her room scolding herself for being stupid and worrying about seeing Vincent again. She told herself that she wouldn't leave until they were ready to leave Midgar. She didn't want to risk seeing him or anyone else she had left behind when she had joined her friends. After eight hours of being cooped up in the room though, her resolve was already diminishing. She was sick of staring at the pale yellow walls that encased her and of the cheesy soap operas on the television that were entirely too dramatic for her. She was tired of staring out the window into the city streets of Midgar and not being able to run through them herself, if not snatching things from people's pockets then at least roaming around and enjoying the beautiful weather that had been taunting her all day. She was completely bored out of her mind. Now, Tifa was begging her to come out and have a drink with her. After telling herself that the likely of Vincent showing up at the inn bar was very slim, she'd already made up her mind to go.

Of course, she wasn't going to let Tifa know that yet.

"I need _someone_ to help me keep Barret quiet. You know how he gets when he's drunk. And Cloud…he just sits there. I won't have anyone to talk to, unless you count Barret's roaring, which I don't. Please just come down. You can come back to your moping after one drink. I just need a little girl time after spending all day with these two."

Tifa looked so frustrated and desperate that finally Yuffie decided to put her out of her misery. She grinned. "Okay, fine, I'll come down. But you owe me," she said. She swung herself off her bed and followed Tifa. She felt a lot better now anyway. Sure, she'd been a little shaken by seeing Vincent, but what were the chances she'd bump into him again? They were leaving tomorrow anyway after Cloud got in contact with the new employer who hired them today. By this time tomorrow, they'd be gone and hopefully she'd never see him again.

When they got down to the bar, Barret and Cloud were already waiting at a table, a couple of glasses already in front of them.

"Hey guys! Did ya miss me?" Yuffie asked, slipping into a chair as Tifa did the same.

Instead of answering, Barret turned to Cloud. "Told you it wouldn't take long."

"Yuffie," Cloud nodded, acknowledging her. "Good to see you back to your normal self."

"Well, you know me," she said, grabbing his glass and taking several large gulps from it. She set it down and let out a small belch as she slid it back across to him. "I bounce back fast."

Tifa smiled as she signaled to the bartender for more drinks. For a while, everything was fine. Tifa and Barret told her about the day they had getting supplies while Cloud got the money from their last job and lined up a new one.

"How long will this one take?" Yuffie asked.

"Not very. We only have to deliver some goods to Rocket Town. Make sure they remain undamaged for the most part. I figure we can stop there for a couple of weeks though. We've got enough money to stay for a bit."

"Should I call Cid?" Tifa asked.

Cloud nodded. "If he has room, but we got enough for an inn too."

"Nah, we won't need that!" Yuffie said, confidently. "Shera will insist that we stay with them." She grinned. "She's got Cid wrapped around her finger too, no matter what that old man says. He caves the second she asks for any—" Yuffie cut off when she realized that someone was standing behind Cloud. And that someone had long black hair, pale skin, and crimson eyes which were locked onto her. A strange mixture of feeling went through her, freezing her to her chair. She stared at him, wondering if he was really there or if she was imagining things.

Unfortunately, she wasn't.

In the next instant, Cloud was standing up, facing Vincent. Both Tifa and Barret were out of their chairs too, flanking him. To anybody else, they were just standing. But Yuffie knew them well enough to read their body language. Tifa's fists were slightly curled, Barret's gun arm was held slightly farther away from his body than normal, and Cloud…well he was always ready to fight. All this registered in her mind, yet she could only stare at Vincent. He looked straight back at her, his face expressionless.

"What do you want?" Cloud asked.

Vincent looked at Cloud. Yuffie could see him sizing all three of them up. Yuffie had seen Vincent fight once before and he was good. His training as a Turk had gotten out of the job alive, with only a few scars. If he and Cloud were to fight each other, it'd certainly be an interesting battle…one that Yuffie did not want to see the outcome of.

"I want to talk to Yuffie," he said. His voice held no challenge in it. It was a simple request, yet Yuffie knew it wasn't simple at all.

"Is that all?" Cloud asked.

A dark look passed over Vincent's face. "Yes."

The two of them stared at each other, neither of them backing down. Yuffie eventually sighed. She knew how both of them were. They could both be incredibly stubborn. If she didn't make the move, they could be here all night.

She stood up. "It's okay, Cloud," she said.

They all turned to look at her.

"Are you sure, Yuffie?" Tifa asked. By the look on her friends' faces, none of them thought it was a good idea. She didn't really think it was a good one either. After what she did, she doubted he had anything nice to say to her. But maybe at the least, she owed him this. If anything, she wasn't going to let her friends take the hit for her.

"I'll be fine," she said, with more confidence than she felt. She forced a smile. "You guys should finish your drinks."

Cloud caught her eye. He frowned but nodded. "We'll be expecting you."

She nodded back then looked at Vincent, ignoring the slight turn her stomach made. "Let's go," she said. She walked passed him, not waiting to see if he followed. She walked straight to the entrance and walked outside. She stopped when she saw Vincent's car out front with his chauffeur who had spiky red hair and a somewhat ruffled appearance leaning lazily against it. Yuffie didn't recognize him. He must have been hired after she left. She raised her eyebrows at him. He copied the gestured while he straightened and stood up.

"This the girl?" he asked. Yuffie knew he was speaking to Vincent who came up behind her.

"Reno, just open the door," Vincent said.

The redhead obeyed, smiling. "You got it, boss."

Yuffie hesitated for a second. Should she really get in a car with him? She knew that her friends wouldn't want her to. He could take her anywhere in a car. Yet, something told her that Vincent wasn't going to hurt her. Even despite everything, she felt like she could trust him. It probably wasn't a good idea. He could be completely different now, and of all people he should be angry at, she was definitely one of them. In a way though, she felt like she deserved whatever was going to happen. So she got into the car. Vincent slid in beside her. Reno got into the driver's seat and started the engine.

"So…how'd you find me?" she asked, once they were driving.

"I have a friend who hires mercenaries a lot to do odd jobs. When I asked about you, he had nothing. But when I mentioned your spiky-haired blonde friend..."

Yuffie nodded. "He's well known in the business." She didn't look at him. Instead, she opted to look outside through the window. It was getting dark out. A couple of stars had already started to shine. Yuffie once again thought about the memory of Vincent holding her as they both stared up at the starry sky, but quickly pushed it out of her mind.

"Well, he told me that your group liked to hang out at that inn. So I tried my luck."

Yuffie couldn't resist this time. She turned and glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Why?"

He didn't meet her eyes but looked forward. "We'll discuss that when we arrive."

It wasn't a long drive. Pretty soon, Yuffie knew exactly where they were going. She had the route etched in her mind. When they pulled up to the house, Yuffie thought that it looked the same as before. It was still Yuffie's favorite color of green with golden trimming. The door, however, was a bright red. She'd painted the door herself, quite aware that it ruined the whole look, but she didn't care. A red door was good luck. Plus, it had reminded her of Vincent's eyes.

"I thought you would have moved by now," she said, staring at it as they drove up.

Vincent was silent for a moment before he finally answered. "I never had the chance," was all he said.

Yuffie got out of the car still taking it all in as she followed Vincent into the house. She was surprised when everything looked basically the same inside as well. She found herself reaching out to touch things that she remembered buying for their home. Some of them were things that she had before her life with Vincent, but she had left behind when she left. She felt Vincent watching her as she touched things and eventually she became too embarrassed. Her arms fell to her side.

"So why did you bring me here?" she asked.

Vincent looked at her for another moment before turning away. "You left some things here," he said. He walked up the stairs.

Yuffie hesitated, but followed him. She walked down the hallway and into the bedroom feeling completely out of place in the house that she used to call her home. Vincent disappeared into the walk-in closet and came out holding a box full of some of her old things. He set it on the ground in front of her.

Yuffie looked down at it. It looked so small. Is that all that she had left behind all those years ago?

"So, this is it? This is the reason you brought me here?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I preferred to do this in private."

She turned and walked away from him, pretending to study a painting on the wall that she remembered buying on sale the first time she had moved in. It was made up of a bunch of lines running across it in different colors. She picked on color and traced it with her eyes, needing something to do so she wouldn't have to look at him. "Well, I'm here. What do you want to talk about?"

She heard him walk towards her a little, drawing in a breath before he spoke. "I just need to know why you left."

Yuffie stiffened, still facing away from him. "Isn't it obvious?"

"I want to hear you say it." His voice had hardened a little. Yuffie knew that this was a bad idea. She shouldn't have come. She wasn't good when people confronted her. Usually she was the one doing the confronting.

But she was here. And now, there was nothing to do but face up to it.

She turned back around to face him. "Why?"

Vincent frowned. "Because it's not fair that you left without saying goodbye. The least you can do is explain it to me."

"Fine," she said flatly. "I left because all I wanted was your money." She started to turn away again. "Happy now?"

But Vincent grabbed her arm, stopping her. "You're lying," he said.

Yuffie suppressed a shiver. His touch had sent a tingling feeling through her arm. She ignored it though, sticking out her jaw. She jerked her arm out of his grasp. "You think you can still read me so well?" she asked.

"I don't have to read what your eyes betray to me, Yuffie."

She couldn't help it. She looked away. She hated it, because it was an admission to her guilt.

"Why does it even matter?" she asked, bitterly. "It's all over now, isn't it?"

"Do you really believe I would have come after you if it was over?"

No. She didn't.

"Just tell me the truth, Yuffie."

She stepped back and walked away from him once again. She didn't speak for a moment. Vincent waited.

"I left because I couldn't give you what you wanted," she finally said.

"Which was what exactly?" His voice had gone flat. Yuffie knew that he was frowning.

"A family," she said. "Someone your friends approved of. A wife who didn't have a reputation for stealing and being reckless." She lowered her head. "I wasn't good for you, Vince. And I couldn't stay when I knew that there was someone who was."

"You mean Lucrecia."

She didn't answer.

"You had no right to do that," he said, his voice tinted with anger and annoyance. "If I had thought you weren't good enough for me, I would have never asked you to marry me in the first place. And I never cared about whether my friends approved of you or not. They would have all gotten over it eventually. And your reputation is part of what drew me to you. As for a family, _you _were it. All I really wanted was you."

Yuffie spun around. "You think I could watch that happen though?" she demanded, angry tears starting to blur her vision. "You think I could watch you sacrifice everything just for me? I didn't—I couldn't do that. Otherwise I was just proving to everybody just how selfish I was. I was ruining everything, just like I always did. You can ask Godo about how good I am at that if you don't believe me. The fact is, Vince, we were never meant for each other. And I knew the only way to convince you without letting you ruin your life was by leaving." She looked straight at him now, blinking back the tears. There it was. It was finally out there. A part of her felt relieved. Now he really knew why she left. It felt good to get it off her chest.

But now, she dreaded what was coming next.

* * *

**Whee, Yuffie being all melodramatic and ish. Seems like a silly reason to leave him doesn't it? ...well, maybe not for someone who you truly love. Yay Yuffentine!**

**I hate and love this part. Review please?**


	4. Different From Before

**Yay! So at least this time I didn't take too long. But let me just say, everybody's review really helped. Thank you all so much. You really encourage me to write, and it definitely had a part in why I tried to update so fast. Haha. I will try to reply to everyone's review, I apologize if somehow I skip yours though, or if by my own idiocy I reply to you twice. Lol. **

**Anyway, hope you guys like it!**

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**Different From Before**

Vincent tried to keep himself from grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her back and forth. She was so frustrating. And so stupid. Her explanation, however, did send a wave of relief through him. He hadn't been wrong about her. She wasn't evil or selfish or any of those other names his friends had called her. She was Yuffie. His Yuffie. She always had been. But still, a trace of anger remained. How could she be so wrong about everything after all that he had done to show her how much he cared about her? How could the bold, brash, and cocky girl he had first met let all those comments his ignorant colleagues had made affect her?

He studied her, his face melting into a wall that betrayed none of the emotion that was coiling inside of him. His voice, however, was tinged with an irritation he couldn't hide. "You still don't get it, do you?" he said. "You think you were doing me a favor? I couldn't just go back to a normal life after us. It took a year for me to get back where I needed to be in order to build the company. If Lucrecia hadn't—" He saw Yuffie's face darken a little and knew that he had said the wrong thing. Her voice was light when she spoke next, although Vincent knew that she was forcing it to be that way.

"Great. I'm glad she was able to help you then."

"It's not what you think," he said, his voice lowering almost to a growl. "We're not together. In fact, she's married to Hojo now."

Yuffie's head snapped to look at him. Her eyes were wide. "What?"

Vincent nodded. "They got married a year and a half ago."

"Hojo? But he's…" She trailed off and shook her head. "Well good for her then."

"Yes, good for her," he said, dryly. Yuffie turned away from him again and he sighed. "Why did any of that matter anyway? What happened to the great Yuffie Kisaragi who didn't care what other people thought? What happened to the girl who stood up for what she wanted and for what was hers? What happened to make the bravest, if the most foolish, girl I know run away?"

"She got scared." Yuffie's answer was so soft, he almost didn't hear it. Her reply surprised him though. He never expected Yuffie to admit that she was afraid. Yet when she turned and looked at him, he saw the sincerity in her eyes, and he knew it was true. "I'd never met anybody like you, Vincent. You were so much older and mature. You were a lot wiser than someone your age should be and making something out of your life. I was a young, naïve teenager who ran away from home, throwing everything that was given to me away, and instead chose to live by stealing from people. You were everything I wasn't, yet you still wanted to be with me. The thought was so absurd, I thought it had to be too good to be true. The next thing I knew, I wanted to be different. I wanted to be better for you, but I didn't know how. I was stuck being the same old Yuffie. I thought it was selfish to keep you for myself, so I did what I do best. Steal things and flee."

Vincent shook his head. "You were wrong, Yuffie. You didn't have to change for me. You were being selfish by running away. What, did you think it would make you look better? And now what?"

"I was trying to help you!" she said, raising her voice.

"How?" Vincent nearly shouted back. "By leaving me alone? By taking away one of the best things in my life? You think me thinking the worst of you yet still loving you all the same was better?"

Yuffie drew back, stunned. "You…you still loved me?" She looked down. "Even after what I did?"

Vincent grimaced. "Yes, I did." He watched her, seeing the disbelieving look on her face. Now was the time to show her. Even after all this time, nothing had changed. He drew in an audible breath and said it: "I still do."

She looked up, her warm brown eyes widening with the shock on her face. Vincent couldn't waste another moment. It was now or never.

He advanced toward her. "Say you don't love me," he said.

She blinked, stepping backwards as he continued to close the distance between them. "What?" she gasped out, almost stumbling over her feet as she retreated away from him.

"Say you don't love me," he repeated, angrily this time. He kept moving forward until he had her backed up against the wall. She shuddered when he stopped right in front of her, his face inches from her own. He thought he detected a hint of fear in her eyes. He'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it.

"Say it!" he demanded, his hands slamming into the wall on either side of her.

Yuffie was nervous now. The uncertainty was on her face. "I…I…I don't—"

"You don't what?" he growled. He could almost feel victory in his grasp. His fingers twitched, but he waited. She had to say it first.

She was looking straight into his eyes now. "I don't think I can," she said, softly.

And there it was. Vincent paused for a moment, only to study her as she realized what she had just said. Before she could say anything else, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. She didn't resist as his hand moved to cup the side of her neck, his body pressing forward to pin her against the wall. It wasn't long before Yuffie responded to him, her hands slid up the front of his chest and wrapped around his neck, pulling his head down closer to hers. Vincent's other hand slid under Yuffie's shirt, but stayed near her waist, only wrapping around until he found the small of her back pulling her against him. Yuffie pushed herself closer, deepening their kiss.

After a few moments, Vincent lifted her away from the wall and picked up her up. He slowly made his way to the bed. They both fell onto it, their lips never leaving each others. They finally departed though when Yuffie drew away and looked down at him.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" she asked.

His eyes met hers. "I've never wanted anything more," he said.

Yuffie smiled. She reached down and pulled at his shirt, helping him take it off before she removed her own. She leaned back down and kissed him again.

"I love you, Yuffie Kisaragi," he said, when they broke away.

"I love you too, Vincent Valentine," she answered.

After that, both of them let go of any restraint.

* * *

"I could stay like this forever."

Yuffie hummed an agreement as she shifted to find a more comfortable position against him. She settled for laying her head on his bare chest. His arm wrapped around her, pulling her close.

Vincent marveled at how beautiful she was. She had grown in the last several years. She didn't look as painfully young as she had when they first met. It was one of the reasons his friends didn't like her. Everyone thought that she was too young for him. She certainly looked older now. Life away from him had been good to her. However, he was glad that he now had her back.

He still couldn't believe that he had found her again. When he'd first found that she was gone, he'd believed that he had lost her forever. It had been painful trying to move on, but he had. At least he thought he had until he saw her again and realized how much he had missed her.

"You should stay," he said, finally voicing the thought that he'd been trying to force out of him for the past half hour that they'd been lying cuddled against each other. He felt her tense up and automatically his heart fell. This wasn't going to be good.

"Vince…I can't."

"Why not?" he asked.

She turned toward him, her chin rolling into his chest. "Because, I have a different life now," she said. "And…I still can't give you what you want."

"Yuffie, I told you I don't care about having a family. Not if it means losing you. And my friends will warm up to you eventually."

"Yeah, especially after the last stunt I pulled," she snorted.

Vincent grimaced. "Well, that certainly didn't help."

Yuffie smiled sadly. "See? Besides, I want you to have a family. The world deserves more people like you."

"And not you?" he asked.

She sighed. "No. Not more screw-ups who were disowned by their father."

"I would never disown our child."

"I know," she said. "It's just...I never wanted a child. I'd be a horrible mother."

"You don't know that," he said. "But it doesn't matter, because we don't have to have one. Just—" He reached up to caress the side of her face. "—stay. Please."

She sighed, grabbing his hand in hers. "I wish it were that simple. But I can't just abandon my friends. We have a job lined up and we're leaving tomorrow. I have to go."

"Then come back," he said. "As soon as you can. We can work it out."

"I'd only have to leave again. I travel a lot, Vince. How would that work? I could be gone for months at a time. It'd only be a couple of days before I had to leave again. It's what I do now. I can't just go back to the life I had before."

Vincent frowned. "Is there no way to convince you?"

She looked down. "I'm sorry, Vince." She lifted herself away from him, pulling the sheet up to cover her as she sat up. "I should go back. My friends are probably worried." She got out of bed and started to put her clothes back on. Vincent sat up too, watching her.

"Where are you going? For the job, I mean."

"Rocket Town. We have to deliver some goods or something like that. Nothing too dangerous."

Vincent frowned again. "Do you usually get dangerous jobs?"

"Sometimes." She looked back at him and smiled. "Don't worry about me. You know I can take care of myself."

"Will you come back?"

She paused. "Maybe. But, maybe I shouldn't."

"Don't say that," he said, getting out of bed. He pulled his boxers back on before going up and hugging her from behind. "Promise me you'll come back."

Her hands grabbed his arms that were wrapped around her. She sighed. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea."

He stiffened. "Is that a no?"

She turned around in his arms to face him. "I tell you what, if we ever run into each other again, I wouldn't be opposed to going out for a coffee."

His eyebrows knitted together. "But you hate coffee."

She shrugged, smiling at him. "I could get used to it."

Vincent gave her a sad look. "Yuffie…"

She lifted herself up and kissed him. Vincent savored the sweet taste of her lips. He didn't want it to end, because she knew that she was saying goodbye. When she pulled away, it felt too soon, and he almost grabbed her for another one but stopped himself.

She stepped away from him. "I think I'll walk back," she said, turning towards the door.

"Yuffie, just let me drive you."

"I fight monsters for a living, Vince. A little night walk in the city won't hurt me."

"What about your stuff?" he asked.

Yuffie looked at the box that still sat on the floor where he had first set it down in sudden realization that it was still there.

"Oh, that," she said. She shrugged. "You can throw it away. It's not me anymore." She left the room and Vincent had no choice but to follow her out into the hallway and then down the stairs. She opened the door but stopped to turn around and look at him. "I'm sorry for leaving the way I did. It wasn't fair to you. And if I could change it, I would." She hesitated. "We're…going to be okay, right?"

"We've made it this far, haven't we?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded. She turned to leave, but before she could he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. He memorized the way she felt in his arms and the way she smelled because he knew it might be the last time he did it. When he finally let her go, she cupped his cheek for a moment before turning around and walking out the door. Vincent waited until she reached the street and turned the corner. He continued to watch her until she became a blurry dot and then disappeared completely, swallowed up by the night. Vincent closed the door, ignoring the dull ache that was starting to form in his chest. He suddenly felt lonelier than he'd ever felt before. He'd found the one who had got away, and had just let her walk away again…

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**Now, don't freak out on me, okay? This is a Yuffentine fic, so naturally I'm not going to leave it at that! Obviously, this is a much more mature Yuffie. I kinda had to make her one for the story so sorry for the OOC-ness. Well, please review! (Although I'm still running on a high from all the ones I received before, so maybe the next update will be quick too? ;) Let's hope so!)**


	5. A Reason to Stay

**I always seem to update late at night...or very very early in the morning, however way you look at it. Anyway, it took a while to edit this one. It grew by quite a lot, since before it was only like a page and a half and ended up being three pages, so I hope my effort pays off. Thank you once again for the reviews as well as the favorite story alerts. They make me enjoy checking my email now. :)**

**Disclaimer (do I really need this anymore?): Don't own FFVII. And my soul is weeping.**

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**A Reason to Stay**

Yuffie gave an exasperated sigh as she shifted once more on her bed. She'd finished packing and had been staring up at the ceiling of the room at the inn waiting for the others to be ready for a while now. Yuffie didn't like to wait. It made her restless and it made her mind think of too many different things. Like now for example. She wondered if she had made the right choice last night saying goodbye to Vincent. Was she making a mistake? Could she possibly go back to being with him? Her heart wanted her to. She still loved him. She knew that. But there were still other things to consider. His friends, his career, and hers as well. Plus, would they be able to make it after what she did? Last night convinced her that maybe they could. It was almost as if nothing had happened. It would be easy to go back to that, she thought.

But she couldn't. Things weren't that simple. They never were.

"Yuffie?"

She jumped at her name, sitting up to see that Tifa had entered the room. "Oh, sorry. I didn't hear you come in."

Her friend looked back at her worriedly. "I'd called your name several times."

Yuffie shook her head. "Just got lost in thought for a moment. Are we ready to go?"

"Yes, the guys are ready," Tifa said. Yuffie was moving to get off the bed but was surprised when instead Tifa came and sat next to her. The older woman looked at her sideways, and Yuffie knew that something was definitely up.

"You know, Yuffie, we were all talking and…" Yuffie narrowed her eyes a little. Tifa let out a breath before she continued. "You can stay if you want to."

Yuffie blinked, surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"You think we couldn't tell when you came back last night?" Tifa asked, a small smile on her lips. "You two made up, didn't you?"

Yuffie shook her head slightly, but smiled. "Was it that obvious?"

"You mean besides the fact that you didn't stop smiling the whole night and didn't even get angry when Barret accidentally pushed you into the bar and you got beer all over your favorite shirt?"

"Maybe I was in a good mood."

"You gave everybody, including Cloud, a hug. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought Vincent had filled you up with alcohol before you came back. But we could tell. You weren't just drunk. You were love drunk."

Yuffie rolled her eyes at the description. "Okay, yes, we made up. But it doesn't mean we're together again. And besides, I couldn't just abandon you guys."

Tifa gave her a knowing look. "You know we could do the job ourselves. We did fine before you came along. We'd miss you a lot. But you love him."

Yuffie pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them. "I don't know. I'm so confused. Yes, I do love him. But it seems irrational doesn't it? I mean, it was one night. One very good night, but still. It's just all happening so fast. Maybe if we didn't have to leave today. Maybe if we were staying in Midgar for a little longer I could see, but I…I just don't think we could go back to the way it was. Maybe the two of us would have worked out in some other lifetime, but things are different now." She looked at her friend and was surprised to see her smirking at her. "What?" she asked.

"Why, Yuffie Kisaragi, I do believe you're growing up," Tifa said.

Yuffie's eyes bugged out. "You take that back Tifa Lockhart!" she screeched, grabbing a pillow off the bed and throwing it at her friend's head while she laughed. "I will never grow up!"

Tifa caught the pillow and stood up, chuckling. "Okay, calm down. I shall never utter such nonsense ever again."

Yuffie gave a short nodded, smiling. "Good."

"Are you sure you want to do this though?" she asked. "Rocket Town is pretty far away."

Yuffie sighed. "No, I'm not sure. But I'm going to do it anyway. Besides, I'm sure the old fart misses me. I can't disappoint him or Shera, now can I?"

Tifa smiled. "Shera did sound excited on the phone. And despite Cid's cursing and grumbling in the background, I could tell he was excited too."

"Exactly." Yuffie swung herself off the bed and picked up her stuff. She smiled back at Tifa. "So let's do it."

Yuffie opened the door and was surprised to see Barret standing behind it, his hand poised to knock. His expression didn't change from the slight frown on his face. "I was just comin' to get you two," he said. He shifted nervously as he met Yuffie's eyes. "We're all ready to go but um, there's someone here to see you."

Yuffie blinked in surprise. Someone to—oh no. Both happiness and fear came over her at the same time. Happiness that she could see him again but fear that doing so would only confuse her more. She considered telling Barret to make him go away, but she knew she couldn't do that. She'd have to face him.

"Where is he?" she asked.

"Standing in the lobby with Cloud," he answered.

She let out a breath and straightened her shoulders. She walked past Barret down the stairs until she found Cloud standing by their bags in the lobby, his arms across his chest as he leaned against the wall. He nodded at her as she walked up.

"He's waiting for you outside," he said. "We have to leave soon."

Yuffie nodded. "I understand."

She made a move to leave but was surprised when Cloud reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. His sharp blue eyes focused on her. "He's going to try to make you stay."

She gave a weak smile. "Don't worry, Cloud, you won't lose your best team member. He'd have to offer me a lot in order for me to leave this life."

"He just might."

Yuffie blinked, not quite sure how to answer that. Cloud saved her from having to when he took his hand off her shoulder and turned away from her. "Just make sure this is what you really want." He walked away then, leaving Yuffie by herself. She heaved another sigh. How can I be sure when I don't even know what I want? she thought.

She shook her head and then walked outside. She found Vincent standing near the entrance with his back to her. When she saw him, her heart clenched with pain. She thought she could do this easily, but maybe she couldn't. The thought of losing Vincent after just getting him back wasn't very appealing and all her reasons for doing it seemed so weak in her mind right now. But there was just a feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her to stick to her decision. And her feelings were usually right.

She swallowed hard before she cleared her throat. "You probably shouldn't have come."

He turned and smiled. "You didn't think I actually wouldn't, did you?"

She shook her head and couldn't help but smile back at him. "No. But you still shouldn't have."

"I had to at least say good-bye," he said, walking towards her.

She smirked at him. "I thought we said good-bye last night."

His eyebrow raised. "I thought that was more of a make-up."

"Well, it was kind of both."

Vincent sobered, his face falling into more serious features. "Yuffie, I don't think you should go."

"Vince, you know I can't—"

"Why would it be so difficult to start over? You know that we could. It'd be better than even before."

"I'm a merc now," she said. "It's my life. You know how restless I get. I want to see the world and move on to new places. We'd never work out this way."

His eyes narrowed a little and Yuffie knew he could tell she was lying just a little bit. Afterall, she'd seen most of the world already, but he didn't have to know that. To distract him, she stepped closer and grabbed his hand. "I'm sorry, Vince. If I could, I would stay. But…life is just too different now. Maybe if I wasn't leaving today or maybe if in the future we meet again and are still single…"

"I'll wait for you," he said, his hand engulfing hers and squeezing it. "You know I will."

She shook her head. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't look for others. You never know, your soulmate could still be out there looking for you."

"No, she's right here. About to leave me again."

Yuffie looked away from his sad eyes down at her feet. "I'll always love you. You know that, right?"

Vincent reached up and tilted her chin toward him with his finger. "I"ll always love you too," he said. Then, before she could stop him, although she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to, he leaned forward and kissed her.

Yuffie breathed in his musky scent and tried to memorize the feel of his lips against hers. She wanted to remember this. She was going to miss him. She knew that. It pained her to think this might be the last time they kiss, the last time they touch. She didn't want it to end. But it had to. She pulled away from him.

"I want you to have something," he said.

"Vincent," she sighed. "I don't—"

"Please," he said. "Just take it."

"What is it?" she asked.

He reached up for one of the chains around his neck. "I wasn't wearing it last night because I was afraid it would scare you away. But I've worn them every day since you left." He pulled the necklace off. At the end of it was one golden ring.

Yuffie gasped. "Is that…?"

He nodded. Her eyes widened as she stared at it. He wore it every day?

"I think it's about time you had it back. And it can remind you that no matter where you are, I still love you. They were meant to be a symbol of our undying love and it still is." He placed it in her hand.

She gazed up at him. "I-I don't know what to say."

"Just say you'll carry it with you wherever you go."

She closed her hand over the ring and chain. "I will," she said.

"Yuffie." She turned around. Cloud and the others were waiting behind her.

"We have to go," he said.

She nodded numbly. "Okay." She turned back to Vincent who was staring at her intently as if he were memorizing every line on her face. She reached out and squeezed his arm one last time. "I'm sorry," she said. Then she let go of him and walked away from him towards her friends. She didn't look back at him as they walked down the street. She didn't think she could. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked away. Tifa stepped up beside her and looped their arms together to give her a reassuring squeeze. Yuffie squeezed back to show her thanks, but couldn't bring herself to lift her head. If she did, she was afraid that the tears that were threatening to overflow would break free.

And she had the awful feeling that if one tear did, she would never stop.

* * *

**Silly silly Yuffie. Why in the world would you leave Vincent freaking Valentine? Don't worry lovelies, change will soon occur. But that's AFTER Vincent gets a little prodding by a certain lady (who I originally hated, but she's sort of grown on me.) Because obviously his bestie is going to be needing details after the time he's had. Tee hee. ^_^ **

**Please review if you have the time!**

**And have an absolutely fantastic day!**


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